The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements and more particularly relates to a manually adjustable bracket structure for mounting a plow standard on an implement frame.
Agricultural operations utilizing earthworking tools such as plows often require that the lateral spacing between the tools be adjusted to vary the width of cut. Such a change is often desirable to match the horsepower and traction of the tractor with particular soil conditions. Further, plowing productivity can be improved by changing width of cut, as for example, when finishing the ends and edges of a hillside or a field or plowing under alfalfa pastures or bean ground.
Plows and similar earthworking tools have in the past been rigidly mounted to the toolbar at fixed lateral spacings. Accordingly, a dealer had to maintain a significant inventory of units to provide the widths and spacings necessary for the soil conditions and tractors in his area. The farmer who wanted to maximize his productivity had to either purchase more than one unit or spend substantial time adjusting the width of the spacing between the tools whenever soil conditions or crop conditions required a significant change in that spacing.
To overcome this problem, implements have been introduced with mechanisms for adjustably spacing the tools on the frame. See, for example, the John Deere Model 2800 Plow. These implements provide tool-supporting standards which are pivotally mounted to the frame and connected by a hydraulically actuated linkage for simultaneous swinging movement. The interconnecting linkage adjusts each standard relative to the beam and therefore adjusts the angular relationship between each standard and the beam to change the width of the cut between the tools. To provide the continuously variable selection of widths of cut between the tools, these implements possess extensive hydraulics and mechanical linkages and require substantial expense to manufacture as well as maintain.
Less expensive manually adjustable mounting structures have also been made available. See, for example, the John Deere Model 3200 Drawn Plow which provides a mounting bracket that can be adjusted between two angular positions. See, also, the John Deere Model S3531 Integral Disk Plow which provides a mounting bracket adjustable between three positions. The adjustments required to the mounting brackets on each of these models, however, requires considerable time and effort. Further, these structures do not couple the mounting brackets with the implement frame so as to resist the torque and other forces commonly encountered by the earthworking tools and standard.